The early recognition of moving objects such as persons, domestic animals, farm animals, wild animals, play equipment or also bicycles by drivers of vehicles is an essential perquisite for reducing the number of accidents which occur as a result of vehicles colliding with such moving objects. This applies both to the involvement of the moving objects and vehicles in public road traffic and to the operation of vehicles in private grounds which are additionally visited by moving objects. Particularly in construction sites, in agriculture, in industrial installations and in logistical centers, serious accidents repeatedly occur because drivers of vehicles overlook moving objects in the surroundings of the vehicles on account of blind spots and other visual obstructions, for example, as a result of obstacles. The risk of collisions is particularly high in the case of large vehicles with poor visibility, for example, harvesters, construction machines and the like.
Measures available today for reducing the risk of accidents in the aforementioned cases are based primarily on increasing the visibility of the moving objects, for example, by attaching reflectors. It is thus customary today to carry high visibility vests in motor vehicles. Vehicles use additional means to provide the drivers of the vehicles with a better view of possible moving objects, for example, additional mirrors, particularly for blind spots, or else cameras on the vehicles, for example, in the form of rear-view cameras. These solutions are all visual solutions based on a visual link between the moving object and the vehicle. It is therefore not possible to protect moving objects which enter the field of view of the vehicle at short range, for example, when the moving objects come out from behind an obstacle. These measures on the vehicles also require complex situations which have associated high costs. In the case of poor visual conditions, for example, due to fog or rain, these measures come to nothing to some extent and are ineffective. The same restrictions and problems affect assistance systems introduced into motor vehicles today which automatically sense the surroundings using radar or by means of cameras.
DE 39 15 466 A1 describes a method for taking up and performing regulated radio operation for the prevention of collisions between vehicles. In this case, all the vehicles continuously ascertain location data and transmit them to other vehicles by means of electromagnetic signals. A disadvantage of this is that these systems are also very complex and have a high power consumption under continuous operation. A localization infrastructure is also required which the vehicles can use to recognize their location, with the result that this method can be performed only in areas with special equipment.